Steinlen, Théophile-Alexandre  (1859 – 1923)

Steinlen moved to Paris from Swizerland at the age of twenty. Though largely untrained as an artist, he became one of the leading illustrators of his time and a celebrated designer of the Art Nouveau poster. His work was also often oriented towards his views on contemporary society and his concern for the disadvantaged and impoverished. These views were radical enough to sometimes require a pseudonym as the signature on the picture.

A creator of 382 original lithographs and 115 etchings, Steinlen was very influential and highly regarded in his own time, and fellow artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec and a young Picasso were admirers. Steinlen also had a penchant for producing rather special images of cats.